Tuesday, November 14, 2006

The "New Police Professionalism," or Support Your Local Gang-Banger

Most American men older than, say, fourteen years of age have had the following experience:

During a pick-up basketball game at the YMCA or the local health club, you find yourself paired off defending a guy who's taking things just a little too seriously.

Bumps escalate into undisguised shoves; hand-checks become elbow thrusts; tripping suddenly becomes the defensive tactic of first resort. Up the escalation ladder you climb until eventually you find yourself squaring off with the jerk while other players try to maintain the polite fiction that this is a casual basketball game, rather than an Alpha Male territory-marking ritual.

To his dog, every man is Napoleon, noted Aldous Huxley; this explains the constant popularity of dogs. In similar fashion, it could be said that for a certain personality type, every pickup b-ball game at the Y is Game Seven of the NBA Finals.

I offer that observation as someone who has the dubious distinction of being banned for life from Church League play when I was 18 as a consequence of my threat to “eviscerate” the referee; he wasn't so much intimidated by my threat as he was humiliated when I had to tell him what the word meant, and infuriated when I observed (correctly) that he obviously wasn't the owner of a library card.

Ah, Church Basketball: The Brawl That Begins With Prayer.®

At a Gold's Gym in Salt Lake City one night last August, a 21-year-old Balkan refugee named Agim found himself caught in the tightening coils of an on-court conflict with a 24-year-old named Marcus Barrett. At some point, Agim became weary of Marcus's “rough play” and responded in kind. This reportedly continued until Marcus threw a punch, the two players hit the floor, and two of Marcus's buddies jumped into the fray. While the friends pinned Agim's arms to his sides, Marcus slugged him in the stomach and chest.

Agim as a High School student in Salt Lake city

Quite sensibly, Agim decided to leave – but Marcus and his Homies trailed him to the parking lot. When Agim tried to drive away, he found the exit blocked by Marcus's vehicle; Marcus grabbed a shotgun and threated Agim's life. By this time, Agim had dialed 911, and the police were on the way. For several minutes – as recorded by the 911 dispatcher – Marcus and his buddies swarmed Agim's car, while the young refugee from Kosovo, displaying remarkable composure, waited for the police to arrive.

Oh, did I mention that Marcus, the aggressor in this incident, was an off-duty police officer?

“Get out here [Oedipal epithet deleted],” Marcus can be heard yelling at Agim on the 911 recording, as he and his friends pound on Agim's car. “You're f*****g with the wrong people.... You know what I am?... I will put you under arrest! Get out of the car right now. If you don't get out of the car I will place you under arrest for resisting arrest. Get out of the car right now!”

Agim, who was well acquainted with potentially lethal abuse by police authorities (likely from both Serbian irregulars and the “police” forces of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army, the latter being much worse than the former), remained calm and resolute in waiting for other police to arrive, placidly telling Marcus “I don't trust you.”

Earlier in the confrontation, Marcus and his friends had attempted to drag Agim from his car.

“You want to start something [Oedipal epithet deleted once again]?” taunted the hero, who at the time was toting a shotgun with two fellow gang-bangers at his back. “What you pulled in there is called an assault... You want to start sh*t right now?”

According to Agim's side of the story – which seems plausible, given Marcus's behavior as recorded in the 911 tape – it was Marcus who began the “rough play” during the basketball game; apparently, Agim had “assaulted” Marcus by presuming to retaliate, thereby laying his profane hands on the sanctified person of an agent of the Almighty State.

His work shift may have ended, but Marcus proved through his behavior that a rectal orifice is never off-duty.

This episode brought to my mind a similar incident decades ago – which I have described elsewhere – involving an off-duty Deputy Sheriff who threatened to arrest my American Legion coach for “verbal assault” on a clearly partisan home plate umpire: As the visiting team, we had discovered that our strike zone had expanded to include most of the county, while the home team's had contracted to roughly the circumference of a pea.

As I pointed out earlier in describing that episode: “The umpire, however inept or partial he might have been, exercised authority rooted in an implied private contract. Deputy Buttinski, on the other hand, deployed intimidation backed by the implicit threat of lethal violence, tangible evidence of which was provided by the firearm he carried while off-duty.” His attitude appeared to be, “Hey – I've got a badge and a gun; why not put them to use?”

That was apparently the same notion that took hold of Marcus, who had been a cop for about a year at the time of his altercation with Agim.

Happily, Marcus has been charged with two counts of assault and one charge of unlawful detention, both of which are misdemeanors. For threatening Agim with a gun, Marcus should confront felony assault charges, at least.

In a development as predictable as it is unfortunate, Agim has filed a $1 million lawsuit against Salt Lake City. A better remedy would be to use the leverage of the lawsuit (if this is possible) to bring felony charges against Marcus, and to bring about his removal from the police force.

As a recent enlistee in the "Thin Blue Line," Officer Marcus could be considered an example of what Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, in his opinion from the Hudson vs. Michigan case (.pdf), calls the "new police professionalism."

Here's Scalia's panglossian perspective on contemporary policing:

"Even as long ago as 1989, we felt it proper to `assume' that unlawful police behavior `would be dealt with appropriately' by the authorities, but we now have increasing evidence that police forces across the United States take the constitutional rights of citizens seriously. There have been `wide ranging reforms in the education, training, and supervision' of police officers.... Moreover, modern police forces are staffed with professionals; it is not credible to assert that internal discipline, which can limit successful careers, will not have a deterrent effect. There is also evidence that the increasing use of various forms of citizen review can enhance police accountability."

For all of these reasons, contends Scalia, police can be entrusted with much broader discretionary powers involving potentially lethal use of force, such as no-knock raids. Comments Balko:

"Police are certainly more highly trained than they once were, but they aren’t better trained at observing civil liberties. They’re better trained at paramilitary tactics. They’re now trained by former Navy SEALs and Army Rangers. They’re better trained at treating civilians like enemy combatants, at taking over and `clearing' rooms in private homes, not at treating the people inside as citizens with rights."

Just as importantly, modern police frequently display the same propensity toward tribalistic violence that typifies any other armed gang. Too often, rather than regarding themselves as part of, and responsible to, the communities in which they're deployed, police perceive themselves as a caste apart from, and superior to, civilians.

As Officer Marcus put it, while he and his buddies threatened Agim's life: "You see that f****g car right there? What does that make me? You know what I am?"

To which the proper answer is: You're a squalid punk and a feculent bully who richly deserves a major beating -- and that's true despite your pimped-out ride, and the gang colors you wear.

Since 1994, police departments across the nation have received federal aid to enlist tens of thousands of guys like Marcus, give them guns and badges, and invest them with something perilously close to a license to kill.

And we're supposed to be worried about al-Qaeda.A POSTSCRIPT

Agim, as mentioned above, is a Kosovar Albanian, and he helped resettle others from that Serbian province in Utah. This is a bad idea for a number of reasons, chief among them the fact that the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army is a nasty terrorist network that has tendrils in every significant Albanian community in the U.S. and Europe. But it doesn't follow that Agim is an "Islamo-Fascist" -- unless, perhaps, he's a sleeper agent given the vital mission of disrupting pick-up basketball games in Salt Lake City (also known as the "strategic linchpin of the Rocky Mountain West").

The Fascisti over at Freerepublic.com would have us believe that Agim, for committing the crime of being born an Albanian Muslim, is a menace to the Homeland. Note particularly this outpouring from a typically low-capacity Freeper brain-pan:

“I'll have sympathy for an Albanian islamofacist who helps settle other islamofacists on our soil when hell freezes over. I will tell you, Albanians aren't innocent wusses like the article would have it appear, they will stab your 'infidel' back as soon as look at you.”

9 comments:

Once and again, you're right on the money. I thought the Bill of Rights was supposed to protect us against these kinds of shock-troop incursions. It used to mean something when one took an oath to uphold the Constitution. I guess its just a perfunctory motion now. Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems like the more egregious examples of this kind of conduct became common as a result of the failed "war on drugs".

As to the SLC cop and his conduct, there will always be members of the law enforcement community who suffer from a chronic case of rectal-cranial inversion. There are those folks who will only behave in a civil, professional manner because the threat of castigation for behaving otherwise is their prime motivator. Unfortunately, it appears that this kind of behavior is more and more sanctioned and even rewarded in the name of protecting "We the Sheeple" from the boogie man du jour.

I think it was Dixie Dog who pointed out that we have only ourselves to blame for this as the "powers that be" are only a reflection of our collective selves; ignorance, apathy and every man doing what is right in his own eyes, i.e., no moral center, is what has gotten us to this point. Will, how do we fix it?

you made some valid points, but i would disagree with you and DD if you say that we have only ourselves to blame. it's easy to say, "we should stnad up for our rights come hell or high water! down with the man!" but the reality is is that Da man has a lot of power over you, and has his tentacles that spread everywhere. he has his hands on a lot of powerful tools that we do not. he taxes us to the point where both parents have to work. he forces us to send our kids to his schools. he makes us pay rent on items we are supposed to own like cars and houses. he makes our sons sign up for his drafts. he makes us sign contracts like SS so that he can take more of our money and give you permission to drive a car, or open a bank account. he forces us to accept licenses and ID so that we can run a business, or drive a car. he forces us to get permits so that we can improve our homes, or defend ourselves with a gun.

that's a lot of power. in the face of that onslaught...are we really to blame? partially, but when one has been set back from birth, it's hard to fix a corrupt system. where the romans born after julius caesar to blame for their empire that oppressed them? sometimes in life, i hate to admit it, we just get screwed.

i think da man has been so successful so far is because we are worn down, but most importantly, we are divided. well, God is still in control and keep this is mind. if you, me, DD, and everyone else does what God would have us to do, then we have done all that we can. so, in that regard, and to cheer us both up, let us focus on our first mission from God--our purpose--and not be distracted by everything else. :-) when you do what God would have you to do, you'll find that you do not have time, nor the anointing to venture off to save a world that He's gonna destroy.

if we all just stick to His word, i think we'll find that our current situation will improve. and if it doesn't...so what? we've only to please Him and Him alone.

I seem to remember shortly after 9/11 that Ashcroft issued pamphlets to citizens in the TIPS program to be on the lookout for potential terrorists in their neighborhoods who were characterized by, among other things, verbal defense of the Constitution. Does anyone else remember this, or have links to the pamphlet that contained this information?

you made some valid points, but i would disagree with you and DD if you say that we have only ourselves to blame. it's easy to say, "we should stnad up for our rights come hell or high water! down with the man!" but the reality is is that Da man has a lot of power over you, and has his tentacles that spread everywhere. he has his hands on a lot of powerful tools that we do not.

"Da man" has a lot of power over us precisely because WE ALL, ourselves, our parents, our grandparents, great-grandparents, have over decades and decades gradually acceded it; we've allowed our cultural institutions to be subverted, our churches to be subverted, our hearts and minds to be perverted.

[Da man's well-known methods...snipped]

that's a lot of power. in the face of that onslaught...are we really to blame? partially, but when one has been set back from birth, it's hard to fix a corrupt system. where the romans born after julius caesar to blame for their empire that oppressed them? sometimes in life, i hate to admit it, we just get screwed.

Look, we will either self-govern or we will be governed externally. The only way to self-govern successfully is by keeping our baser self at bay. We no longer can do that anymore as the rise of depravity of every stripe and the populace's greedy appetite for it clearly demonstrates, rick. Did "Da man" make us that way?? NO! "Da man" naturally will use that condition to his benefit and has done and doing so. When I was in school, school shootings were unheard of and guns were more prevalent, yet we've seen several in recent years. Why? Did "Da man" concoct these events? NO! But, again, "Da man" will use these opportunities to tighten his grip on freedom. It's a natural progression. We could go through the various cultural realities of the present age and see why "Da man" controls or governs us in areas that we were formerly self-governing adequately.

I recall reading about Davy Crockett, while a member of the HoR representing the fine folk in Green County, TN, refused to use public money to give to a widow. He instead called on everyone in the chamber to cheritably offer their own money and the bill was defeated. The crux here though is that he was a commoner before becoming a politician, BTW. The commoners in his district reminded him of his oath to abide by the constitution and he followed through. Needless to say, there are no Davy Crocketts among the commoners today. Hence, no politicians reflect that reality either.

i think da man has been so successful so far is because we are worn down, but most importantly, we are divided. well, God is still in control and keep this is mind. if you, me, DD, and everyone else does what God would have us to do, then we have done all that we can. so, in that regard, and to cheer us both up, let us focus on our first mission from God--our purpose--and not be distracted by everything else. :-) when you do what God would have you to do, you'll find that you do not have time, nor the anointing to venture off to save a world that He's gonna destroy.

Destroy? That's debatable. I believe it will be renewed surely, but I don't think destroyed. But that's not important to the topic being discussed. As to your other assertions, I agree rick, which is why I don't waste my time in futility attempting to change the political landscape anymore. I used to be like that and yacked endlessly about the political lanscape. I do vote for the candidates I believe are the best fit for the position, however, but I don't argue the minutiae anymore. It's hearts and minds that need reshaping, and by extension the culture, not the political establishment.

if we all just stick to His word, i think we'll find that our current situation will improve. and if it doesn't...so what? we've only to please Him and Him alone.

Agreed. However, a commoner whining, cryin', screamin' and/or otherwise bellyaching about a politician's graft, greed, sexual immorality, etc., ad nauseam while that same commoner is out and about shacking up, porking at will, or watching "Desparate Housewives," or cheating on his wife or her on her husband, or he/she allows their children to be engrossed in MTV and other myriad cultural youngster slop pits is FUTILE and a huge waste of energy, not to mention extremely hypocritical. No wonder one like this would keep their mouth SHUT and fold up and become a chameleon in the crowd when/if the heat gets a bit too close for comfort, act "worn down" if you will.

keep the faith, and fight the good fight.

Sadly, that's where we all have faltered and need to be ready to take our lumps at this point by standing firm in faith even when the heat gets turned up and it will get hotter. You can count on that, brother rick. That is, IF you're not part of the crowd, acting like the crowd, playin' the crowd's game in the sewer pit, you'll be noticed, eventually, and be persecuted. It's extremely difficult to not partake of the world's wiles while being in this world, to be sure but, on the other hand, we'll have zero positive impact on folks' lives if we don't act as salt and light. Anyway, something to ponder.

Adding some to DD's response to your comments...I agree that "da man" has quite a bit of power in many areas, however the tone of your post seemed endued with a definite sense of defeatism, i.e., da man has all the power and we have none...as it was with our fathers and their fathers before them. While this may seem to be true on the surface, I can't help but sense the same kind of attitude in the post that permeates the inner city commuities in this country. I cannot concur that our generation is morally blameless for the current state of the State. The implication is that we are hapless victims who have no real ability to change the situation. By logical extension it falls to the conclusion that we need some "do-gooder" to rescue us from our helpless state, i.e., a Jesse Jackson or Louis Farakhan...no thank you.

If we, as well as previous generations, were faithful to God's will, then this mess wouldn't exist at the magnitude that it does today. As far as doing God's will and that being all that we can do, well it ultimately is in a very real sense up to us anyway; I believe that it is in the book of Romans where we are taught that the men in power are there because God want's them there. I can't speak for anyone else, but the way I wrap my mind around this is that God puts whomever in power based upon how our people honor Him; if we fail to honor Him, then we get what we have today...if we honor Him then we get a government the respects the Constitution and has a significant measure of integrity, as in an era long gone from this land. Fatalistic attitudes will simply keep us enslaved.

you both make valid points. maybe what i'm about to say may sounds funny. there was this guy once, who was very very powerful. we he came up against his enemy, he relaized that at that point he could not fight him. he did not have permission to fight him. had he fought him, he would have lost. so he did what he could do...he said, "man! bump you!" and got out of town. his name was michael. his adversary was satan. sometimes ya gotsta fight, and sumtimes yas gotsta not fight. i'm not fightin da man right now. i'd wind up in jail and would be rather useless to God from inside a jail. i may have been right before the fight. but in jail? God's not telling me to fight him.when it comes time to fihgt da man. da man will be fought. time to prepare for that fight.

another example and i must go. income tax. there really is no law saying we have to pay it? but don't pay it and see what happens? what are your chances of winning by yourself? when the time is right, gang up on da man and bring him down. but the direct approach? ha. thos ewho have beaten the IRS are few. God bless them. those who have lost are in the tens of thousands.

as for me, i'm gonna stick to my purpose. i have a feeling though, my path and that of da man's will cross. if i stick to His plan, then when those paths do cross, i'll be ready. if our paths cross at any other time, i'm a goner.

Note how useful it was to have a cell phone in this instance. Otherwise, it would have been the word of a 'law enforcement official' and other 'reliable witnesses' against an 'out of control' refugee.

I agree that a million-dollar award seems disproportionate given the minimal harm done and the fact that the people of Salt Lake City deserve better, but maybe it does serve as a wake-up call to politicians that they cannot afford to employ police officers with the mentality of attack dogs.

A few months back, in the course of a discussion with a friend of mine about our God-given rights, it occurred to me that God can rescind those rights if He wants to, especially if His people are acting like hypocrites and worshiping icons like the apostate Billy Graham et al,the Repugnican Party (you heard it here first)ad nauseum. Throughout my campaign I emphasized the necessity of national repentance and praying for resoration of the Church. That's probably why I got a whopping 1% of the vote.